General thermal control platforms can be used to test electronic components, material properties and even provide a condition for the growth of elements. For example, a thermal control platform can enable the electronic components to be heated to a proper temperature for an electrical test. Alternatively, a thermal control platform can also have a proper internal environment for semiconductor wafers growing epitaxial layers or carbon nanotubes. Therefore, accurate thermal control platforms have a very important impact on the scientific and technological progress.
In the prior art, the thermal control platform comprises a platform body and a thermal module. The platform body is used for carrying an analyte or other objects and can be in any form such as a stage or a cavity. The thermal module is used to raise or lower the temperature of the thermal control platform so as to reach a desired temperature condition. In addition, the thermal control platform can have a built-in temperature sensor to feedback the temperature of the analyte or the platform body to the temperature controller so as to have a more accurate temperature control.
In order to have accurate temperature control and to prevent the thermal module from burning when exceeding the temperature limit, the user must first input the parameters of the thermal control platform into the temperature controller so that the performance of the temperature control can be optimized. The above parameters of the thermal control platform depend on the design of the platform body. For example, the material of the surface of the thermal control platform, the operating temperature range, the PID parameters, the cooling capacity of the cooling structures, the maximum cooling power of the thermal module and the upper limit of the voltage or current of the thermal module are all included in the parameters. The temperature controller can control the input voltage or the input current of the thermal module according to the above parameters to have an accurate temperature control of the thermal control platform.
Because the designs of different thermal control platforms are not the same, it is necessary to input new parameters manually when the user uses a different thermal control platform. Furthermore, when the user uses an identical thermal control platform but with a different temperature controller, it is still necessary to input new parameters for the new temperature controller. The action of re-entering the parameters manually is not only making the operation inconvenient but also increasing the possibility of system errors.